Information Systems

PART A
Compact Disc Players
Communications model:
Scratches on Disc,
Heat or Water
Damage on Disc

Laser Binary Data or

Data or Binary Bumps
Laser Light Pickup (electric Music
Music Read by Light
Assembly impulses)

Sound or Display
on Screen

Transformation of Energy
Reading

Li
gh
ht t
Lig
Electrical

Battery:
Chemical
Potential
Electrical
Outlet: Electrical
Kinetic

CD Player: electrical (audio signal)

kinetic sound
Computer: electrical light OR electrical
(audio signal) kinetic sound
Writing

eat
+H
ht

Electrical
Outlet: Electrical ig
L

Kinetic

From the power source, electricity is sent to both the mechanics and the laser. The
mechanics then start spinning the CD, which is attached to a spindle. This converts this
electrical energy into kinetic energy. Once the CD reaches the right speed, the laser starts
reading the CD. It does this by converting the electrical energy into light energy in the
form of a laser, then projecting a laser beam onto the CD. During the writing process this
laser beam also has heat energy which burns data onto the surface of a blank CD. It
does this by burning in bumps onto the CD surface. The start and end of each bump
represent binary 1 digits, while flat surfaces represent binary 0 digits. These bumps
look like the following:

During reading though, the laser beam does not contain heat and is reflected off of the
CDs surface onto the laser pickup assembly, which reads the data. When a constant beam
is detected by the reader, it represents a binary 0 digit. When the beam is interrupted by
one of the bumps burnt onto the CDs surface, it is registered as a binary 1 digit. The
binary digits are then formed together to give them meaning and transmit the full
message. It is in this way that data and music are read off of CDs. The data is recorded
onto the CDs in an anticlockwise direction as a spiral shape, each layer only microns
wide.
The laser is controlled by the tracking drive. This carefully moves the laser into the
correct positions to read the data. It is part of the mechanics of the CD player.

As the data reaches further and further out, more data is moving past the laser than at the
centre, due to the fact that the circumference of the CD where the laser is reading is
larger, and is being covered in the same amount of time as the more central pieces of data
( C=2r ). It is for this reason that as the reader moves further out the CD, the mechanics
must carefully slow down the spinning of the CD to a much slower rate.

PART B
The impact of the following information systems on society has been of undeniably great
magnitude. These information systems allowed communication over any distance, great
or small, possible. They have changed the outcomes of wars and have saved many
thousands of lives, as well as making general living more comfortable and convenient.
These information systems include:
Paper
Heliograph
Camera
Animated Cartoons
Semaphore
Typewriter
Phonograph
Motion Pictures
Tape Recorder
Fax Machine
Photocopier
Email
Internet
Printing Press
Telegraph
Land connected Telephones
Radios: AM and FM
Television
ENIAC (first digital computer)
Personal Computer
Mobile Phones
CD (compact disc) Players

The invention of paper allowed history to be recorded and passed down through the ages
accurately. It also allowed the communication of ideas to other people. It is cheap and
easy to use and is still used widely today. The development of the printing press allowed
ideas to be printed en masse and relatively quickly. The typewriter was then used to
quickly type up personal documents. The invention of the photocopier then made
duplicating existing documents in either large or small quantities. The fax machine then
enhanced this by allowing these documents to be sent via a wire over long distance,
making distant communication easy. The invention of the telegraph allowed extremely
long distant communication very quick, cheap and easy as until it was invented, messages
were carried via mail on ships. Heliographs, semaphores, phonographs, tape recorders
and CD players then made the distribution of music possible as the music could be
recorded onto discs/tapes/records and then played back on the appropriate machine.
Cameras made visual communication simple and easy and were able to be used to verify
discoveries. Animated cartoons, television, and motion pictures allowed both the
communication of audio messages as well as visual messages and greatly enhanced the
entertainment available to people. Land connected telephones and mobile phones made
the communication of sound possible. It is cheap, reliable, and widely available. The
development of ENIAC led to the digitisation of information and the creation of the
Personal Computer, which is now available almost anywhere and is affordable. After the
development of the internet, personal computers boomed throughout the world as a
means of communication and finding information. This led to the development of e-mail,
the most common form of communication over the internet.

The impact of these information systems on society has been great. These information
systems have been able to aid society in communicating with each other, especially over
large distances. Without these information systems, people would still be using word-of-
mouth to communicate, which would require face to face conversations. The impact of
these systems has been greatly positive towards the growth of society in that countries
can now communicate with each other easily and most of the mentioned information
systems are widely available to everyone throughout the world.

There are several advantages of using a range of communication systems. This is mainly
due to the characteristics of each communication system. For example, radio is far more
effective at communicating a message across a large amount of people over a wide
geographical area, while if we were to use telephones, it would take a long time to
communicate the message as it has to be repeated many times. This method would also
be expensive. On the other hand, private conversations are well suited to the telephone
system as it is a private link between two people, whereas using the radio is not. As it is a
broadcast communication system, many people would be able to listen to the
conversation. This method would also be very expensive to set up and awkward to use for
private citizens.
The use of a range of communication systems also depends upon the message
needing to be communicated. For example, if a scene was to be sent to someone, a
camera would be much better to use as it captures the scene exactly as it is, while a
description in text is not as accurate as the scene cannot be fully described.
Another advantage of using a range of communication systems is that should one
system fail or be replaced, the other systems can be relied upon in order to maintain
communication.

Although communication systems have been a great contribution to society and the
development of society, they are still open to abuse. Such abuse can be minor (e.g. SPAM
mail in emails) or can be major and causing up to billions of dollars damage (such as
viruses). The improper use of communication systems is a great issue faced by society
today. Abuses of the communication systems take many forms, including SMS bullying,
abusive phone calls, computer viruses, SPAM mail, junk mail, abusive letters, the
spreading of hateful material (e.g. fascist propaganda), and has even been used to
coordinate assaults, murders and terrorist activity. These abuses, though a minority of
total uses of the communication systems, can have major implications for society. The
new forms of communication have allowed people to abuse things and people more
freely and easily. Although this problem is not directly related to the communication
systems themselves, but is rather a larger problem in society which has always existed,
but now is more prominent as their effects are more easily seen and their access to the
ability to abuse systems has increased.

In summary, information systems have developed over the history of man, and have
advanced greatly over the past few decades. These information systems are a great aid to
society and allow long and short distance communication, as well as broadcast (many
receivers) and narrowcast (a small amount of receivers) communication. Although the
abuse of these information systems does occur, it only occurs a very small amount of
times and the purpose of the information systems are still achieved.